English Literature texts & poems
How do I compare the Power and Conflict poems?
Power and Conflict is the cluster of 15 poems in AQA's GCSE English Literature anthology about war, power and identity. In the exam, one named poem is printed and you compare it with a second poem from the cluster that you choose from memory, for 30 marks. Strong answers pick a second poem that shares the idea in the question but treats it differently, and compare the two all the way through.
Last updated 23 September 2026 · Written and fact-checked by the GCSEwiz team
Which poems are in the Power and Conflict cluster?
Fifteen poems, from Blake in the 1790s to poems published this century. Each has its own guide, with the context, the methods to write about, the pairings that work and the quotations worth learning.
| Poem | Poet | Big ideas | Compares well with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozymandias | Percy Bysshe Shelley | Pride, power and time wearing both away | My Last Duchess, London |
| London | William Blake | Suffering caused by those in power | Ozymandias, The Émigrée |
| Extract from The Prelude | William Wordsworth | Nature humbling a confident boy | Ozymandias, Storm on the Island |
| My Last Duchess | Robert Browning | Control, pride and jealousy | Ozymandias, London |
| The Charge of the Light Brigade | Alfred, Lord Tennyson | Duty, courage and a deadly mistake | Bayonet Charge, Exposure |
| Exposure | Wilfred Owen | The misery of waiting, with the weather as the enemy | Storm on the Island, The Charge of the Light Brigade |
| Storm on the Island | Seamus Heaney | The power of nature, and fear | Exposure, Extract from The Prelude |
| Bayonet Charge | Ted Hughes | Terror in battle, and patriotism questioned | The Charge of the Light Brigade, Exposure |
| Remains | Simon Armitage | Memory, guilt and a soldier's trauma | War Photographer, Bayonet Charge |
| Poppies | Jane Weir | A mother's fear and loss | War Photographer, Kamikaze |
| War Photographer | Carol Ann Duffy | Suffering far away, and people who look away | Remains, Poppies |
| Tissue | Imtiaz Dharker | How fragile human power is | Ozymandias, London |
| The Émigrée | Carol Rumens | Memory, exile and identity | London, Checking Out Me History |
| Checking Out Me History | John Agard | Identity, and who gets to tell history | The Émigrée, London |
| Kamikaze | Beatrice Garland | Duty, shame and family | Bayonet Charge, Poppies |
How does the Power and Conflict question work?
It is Section B of AQA's Paper 2. There is one question on each anthology cluster, and you answer the one on the cluster you studied. The paper prints one poem, named in the question, and asks you to compare how it presents an idea, such as the effects of conflict or the power of nature, with one other poem from the cluster. You choose the second poem, and you write about it from memory: it is not printed.
The question is worth 30 marks. They are shared between AO1 (a clear argument backed by references), AO2 (how the poets use language, form and structure) and AO3 (context). This section has no marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Many teachers suggest spending about 45 minutes on it.
How do I choose the second poem?
Choose the poem that lets you say the most about the idea in the question, not your favourite. The best partner shares the idea but handles it differently: a different time, a different viewpoint, or a different form. Exposure and The Charge of the Light Brigade both show soldiers facing death, but one mourns pointless suffering and the other honours the soldiers' courage and obedience, so every paragraph has a contrast to explore.
Decide your pairs before the exam. For every poem, know two partners and a handful of quotations from each, so the choice in the exam takes a minute rather than ten.
How do I write a comparison paragraph?
Compare as you go. Two separate mini-essays, one on each poem, make it hard to reach the top levels, because the comparison is left for the reader to do. A paragraph that works:
- Open with a point that answers the question and names both poems.
- Give a short quotation from the first poem and analyse the method behind it.
- Turn to the second poem with a comparative word such as "whereas", "similarly" or "in contrast", and analyse a quotation from it.
- Use context to explain why the two poets see the idea differently.
What does a strong comparison look like?
Here is an original model paragraph comparing how power is presented in Ozymandias and My Last Duchess:
Both poets show that power built on pride cannot control how its owner is remembered. Shelley's king survives only as a broken statue, and the "sneer of cold command" his sculptor carved now mocks him from the sand. Browning's Duke is still alive, but his own words give him away: "I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together" hints at his wife's death inside a calm, polite sentence. Where Shelley lets time cut a tyrant down to size, Browning lets the tyrant do it himself, through a dramatic monologue (a poem spoken by one character) that reveals more than he intends.
How do I revise the Power and Conflict poems?
Group the poems by idea rather than learning them one by one, because the exam asks about ideas. Ozymandias, My Last Duchess and London are about the power of rulers and institutions. The Prelude, Storm on the Island and Exposure show the power of nature. The Charge of the Light Brigade and Bayonet Charge put you in the middle of a battle. Remains, War Photographer, Poppies and Kamikaze follow what conflict does to people afterwards. The Émigrée, Checking Out Me History and Tissue are about identity and who holds power over it.
Then learn three or four short quotations per poem, each tied to an idea, and practise timed comparisons with pairings you have not planned. The printed poem can be any of the fifteen, so no poem can be skipped.